Why your home needs soft furnishings—7 tips from Joburg designers

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We all have a pretty clear idea about what furniture is, but soft furnishings? As the name suggests, soft furnishings are all those pieces that are physically soft to the touch (and includes fabrics like foam, cloth, cushion, etc.), but it goes so much further than that.

Soft furnishings are all those components that help to provide an inviting and comfortable ambience in the home, scattered across numerous spaces like the bedroom, living room, even dining room and study.

In modern times, soft furnishings play a vital role in interior decoration. This term was created with the increasing use of soft textiles in living- and drawing rooms, used to add beauty and lavish comforts.

Let’s examine this crucial element a bit more, and find out where in your home you can include soft furnishings to enhance that friendly, cosy look.

1. The advantages of soft furnishings

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Your home is your safe space, a retreat that needs to comfort you after a long and tiring day. Thus, it needs to provide a comfy place to sit and lay down. But those comfortable and soft spots must also provide colours, patterns and textures which add to your home’s style and speak of your personality. And so, we examine the advantages of having soft furnishings in the home:

It adds beauty to ordinary looking furniture.

It enhances your relaxing and ups a room’s tranquillity levels.

Soft furnishing gives a room a complete makeover in an economical way. It even allows you to try out your DIY skills and show off your artistic / design side.

It’s the easiest way to switch up a room’s look in terms of colours and contrasts.

Even the minimalist- and Scandinavian styles make use of soft furnishings (although not as much as, say, the traditional or classic designs) to create soft comfort. But bear in mind that soft furnishings must also play by the design rules in terms of colours, motifs and textures, and that they need to complement the existing look of a room.

2. Soft furnishings your home needs: Terrific towels

Towels are certainly vital for a bathroom, but not only for drying off. Towels dangling from a railing or neatly folded and stacked on a floating shelf or in a storage basket immediately adds a welcoming and comfy appeal to the room. Plus, they complement a bathroom’s colour palette and style.

And we all know there’s nothing quite like stepping out of a warm bath to be greeted by a soft, fluffy towel.

3. Soft furnishings your home needs: Scatter cushions

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There’s just something about a sofa or couch sporting a few scatter cushions (and we don’t mean burying it in an overdose of colours and patterns). Adding a few cushion accents to furniture allows your living room to change its look and update your style without having to make a massive commitment to a complete overhaul.

4. Soft furnishings your home needs: Decent duvets

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A decent duvet is one of those things you never knew you missed until you have it. The land of fine feathers and dreamy down sports numerous options like high-quality microfibers to increase your bedroom’s look and enhance a good night’s sleep.

5. Soft furnishings your home needs: Pillows

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Of course cushions and pillows are not just there to make a bed and sofa look pretty. Your head is kind of important, and therefore it needs the utmost attention when sleeping. Pillows come in a range of options (and we don’t just mean the stuffing like feathers or fibre). Test out the different options to find the one that appeals most to you and ensures you are well rested (and not full of cramps) each morning.

6. Soft furnishings your home needs: Comfy covers

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In addition to the right pillows, fresh, crisp linen can also influence how you feel first thing in the morning. You need comfortable bedding to make your bedroom a serene sanctuary. Just ensure your choices reflect the rest of the bedroom’s look in terms of visual design (colours, patterns, etc.).

7. Soft furnishings your home needs: Throws and blankets

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A blanket neatly folded on that corner chair; a throw elegantly draped over the bed… yes, throws, blankets and quilts immediately enhance a room’s lavish look, not to mention what it does for practicality—feeling cold? Crawl underneath that throw in front of the TV.

These elements all help to ensure a snugger, cosier home atmosphere. Can you now see the appeal (and importance) of soft furnishings? If you need professional help with soft furnishings, customised furniture and upholstery, Johannesburg-based interior design company CKW LIFESTYLE pretty much offer it all. With experience of nearly 20 years in the industry, they provide interior design solutions to your house in Gauteng (Johannesburg, Sandton, Pretoria) and any other area in South Africa.